


when i say "i love you" i can't swear it's just for show

by solamaryllis



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, fake dating au, gotta love bees, secretbees2020, this ran away from me and i failed to catch it, wintery - Freeform, wwow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:01:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28446552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solamaryllis/pseuds/solamaryllis
Summary: they just wanted Adam to leave them - specifically, Blake - alone.they didn't see it snowballing like it did.alternatively, a hell of a fake dating au.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 4
Kudos: 70





	when i say "i love you" i can't swear it's just for show

**Author's Note:**

> gifted to daddyxiaolong on twitter for secret bees 2020!
> 
> (ack i'm so sorry this is late! >.<')

Blake was trying to untangle her earbuds as she made her way outside the school building, pausing as she dropped her necklace that had gotten tangled in her earbuds. 

Groaning quietly she bent over to pick them up and froze as she felt a hand on her back. She quickly straightened and was disgusted to find Adam staring down at her with a look that made her want to scrub her skin until it was bright and red. 

“Just watching over you, darling. Wouldn’t want people to try anything, now would we?” The sweetness dripping from his words couldn’t disguise his ill intent and Blake just recoiled from his touch as if he was acid. 

He might as well be. 

Blake turned and power walked away, trying to maintain her composure enough to keep from breaking into a full sprint to her car. She could hear Adam calling her but if anything it spurred her to walk faster, especially when she heard him begin to walk behind her. 

Quickly getting inside her car and making sure all her doors were locked, Blake shrugged her backpack into her passenger seat before making her way home before Adam found another way to make her uncomfortable. 

Pulling into her driveway she sat for a moment, hands gripping the steering wheel before she started punching it lightly, gradually getting more aggressive until she accidentally honked her horn, startling herself and causing her mother to stick her head out the door. Blake smiled weakly and waved, Kali waving back before going back inside and Blake grabbed her stuff and her keys before exiting. She wiped at her eyes and groaned when she saw her hand came away with a few tears. 

Hopefully, it was light enough that her mom wouldn’t question it. 

Walking in Blake kicked off her shoes and kicked them into their little corner by the door and gave her mother a hug before taking a pear from the fruit bowl and was rinsing it under the sink when her mom took that opportunity to pepper her with questions about her day. 

“So, how was your day? Anything new? Anyone new?” Kali bumped her lightly and Blake scoffed lightly. 

“No Mama, it’s the same as ever. My teachers take forever, homework is drowning me, and I have another essay to write.”

Kali shook her head, knowing her daughter, and knowing there was more, something had made her unsettled but knew better than to press. 

Blake was sure her mom knew she was omitting something but thankfully didn’t press the matter. She dried her pear and took a bite as she leaned on the sink, facing her mom. 

“So, it’s getting close to winter break, do we know what's going to happen for Midwinter?”

“Since my sister decided to go on vacation and your father’s sister doesn‘t want to travel, we were wondering if you would invite some people over! Some friends of yours that we rarely get to see.” 

At that her mom nudged her and Blake laughed before taking another bite of her pear. 

“Yeah, I can invite Yang and her sister, their dad gets along with Dad so maybe I can ask him to come too, maybe a few others if they don’t already have plans…” Blake trailed off as she thought about it and failed to notice her mother’s look of plotting. 

Kali knew her, better than she knew herself since apparently she hadn’t noticed the small fact, but the woman didn’t say anything. Blake would have to figure it out for herself. 

The only name she’d said was Yang’s. 

After a few more minutes of talking and planning Blake convinced her mom to let her upstairs to do some work before dinner, citing that once her dad got home they’d have to have the same conversation once again. 

After that, it wasn’t too hard to get her mom to let her go. 

Unzipping her backpack and kicking her door shut behind her, Blake made her way to her desk and started writing an outline but after around ten minutes got the crawling feeling someone had eyes on her. She looked around but couldn’t make anything out and shrugged it off as the incident with Adam. After a few more minutes of unsuccessful work, she groaned in annoyance and pulled the thinner of her curtains closed so light could still come in, and reached for her phone. 

Maybe if she talked to Yang about it, it would go away, or lessen slightly. 

_Blake  
_He did it again, except this time he tried to follow me to my car. 

_sunshine  
_ _(Read 16:52)_

Blake blinked before staring at her phone again. She’d barely sent it and Yang had already—eh, maybe she’d had her phone in her hand. She did have a bad habit of doing that after school then losing track of time and staying up too late to do homework. 

Blake put her phone down and went to her closet to change into something more comfortable, digging around for a bit before settling on a pair of leggings and an oversized hoodie, and some fuzzy socks. 

She hummed quietly as she padded out from her closet and curled up in her chair, one leg tucked under her and the other bent so she could rest her chin on her knee. She pulled herself to the desk and picked up her phone when she heard the _bzzt, bzzt_ of an incoming text message notification. 

_sunshine  
_tf?  
no  
he did not  
the fucker  
ur kiddin me  
did he touch u  
blake u ok?  
do u want me to come over  
i can tell ur mum i need help w an essay or sum  
_sunshine is typing…_

 _Blake  
_I think I’m okay for now  
I just needed to talk abt it   
I just  
Why won’t he leave me alone?! What did I even do to catch his attention?! hngh

 _sunshine  
_idk blek  
but im here got u  
every time

 _Blake  
_How many times does this make now? Seven this month?

 _sunshine  
_yea  
but he won’t much longer  
we’ll figure something out boo

Blake placed her phone on her desk before turning back to her essay, unaware of the stupid smile that stretched across her face at the endearment Yang had called her. 

* * *

Yang dropped her arm on her face and tried to do the breathing exercises Ruby had taught her. 

If she knew where Adam was, she would feel only marginally better if she could beat some fear into him and get him to lay off Blake. Though Blake would never admit it, it was affecting her more than she thought. 

Yang had started to notice the precautions Blake was taking, such as triple-checking her car was locked when she left it and checking her backseat when she got in, making sure none of her belongings were at more than arm's reach so she could grab it and go if needed. She hated seeing how uncomfortable he made her. 

So she hatched a small plan, more of an idea than a plan, a bit of a theory really.

But first, her best friend needed her, and so she slipped into a hoodie and grabbed another one, and slipped into her sneakers before jogging downstairs. Her dad looked at her and then at Ruby, who shrugged and looked back towards Yang as she rummaged around the fridge. 

“Yang, it’s almost dinner you can wait.”

“Nope.”

“Yang, what-, Ruby ordered takeout, it’s not my cooking if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m not that terrible a cook anyway.”

“Tempting, but no. Love you, Dad, but-” Yang cut herself off, unsure of where her train of thought was going, unsure if it was something she was ready to admit. It wouldn’t help with her half-baked idea of how to get Adam to leave Blake alone. 

“Ruby, help me out here.” Tai sighed, knowing he had no chance when Yang got like this, but Ruby might. 

And had they been talking about anyone else, Ruby might have won out as the voice of reason. Yang turned, having found the pasta salad she’d made the day before, and tucked it into a backpack she kept by the door for when she was going to be riding. 

Ruby sat there while Tai waited patiently for an explanation for whatever Ruby had noticed. 

“Yang, why aren’t you staying?”

Yang took a deep breath and turned towards Ruby, her concern written plainly on her face. 

“Blake. She needs me right now and-”

This time Tai interrupted, seeing a look on Yang’s face of utter fondness, and one could even say, love. He was unaware of Yang’s own growing conflict with her emotions, one that had been brewing for a while, but one she was too scared to tackle. 

“That’s alright, go. We’ll leave some leftovers if you’re still hungry when you come back. If not put them in the fridge whenever you get here.” 

Yang grinned at her dad, thankful he was letting her go. Sometimes he got a little picky about letting her go out on a school night, especially when he knew full well that she’d been struggling to keep up with her class load recently. Curse optimistic summer Yang for thinking she could handle all of these AP classes. 

She tucked the hoodie into the backpack and after revving up her bike, took off into the fading sunlight. 

* * *

Blake had finished her outline and had nearly finished cursing her way through three and a half pre cal questions before she heard her phone buzz. She quickly picked it up, the notification a welcome distraction from the beginnings of a headache she could feel coming on. 

_Yang  
_hey   
r u busy?

She heard the door open downstairs and her mother talking faintly but assumed it was her dad finally coming home, which meant that dinner would be done soon, and she had not accomplished anywhere near the amount she wanted to complete. 

_Blake  
_Not at all.

A soft patterned knock sounded at her door and Blake stared at her door long enough for whoever was on the other side to knock again. 

“Hey Blakey, wanna let me in?”

She shot out of her chair and stumbled as her legs failed to cooperate with her, both of them in various stages of pins and needles as she tried to stand back up with a little bit of a wince from where she had landed on her hands. 

The door swung open and in less time than it took Blake to comprehend that it was Yang crouched in front of her, the blonde had already grasped her hands and was looking her over for injuries before being relieved at not finding any and finally looking up at her with those lilac eyes, eyes that honest to gods made Blake’s heart stutter before her brain mumbled something of snarky comment about heart murmurs. 

“Hey, honey, are you okay? You hit the ground kinda hard there, do I need to get you an ice pack or someth-”

Yang’s concerned ramble finally snapped her thoughts away from thinking about how soft she sounded, how her hands were cold - she must have ridden her bike - and how gentle her touch was as she helped her up-

“I’m fine!” she quipped, certain beyond belief that her face was red as the lid of the Tupperware Yang was pulling out of a small backpack. 

“I know you have a lot of work in school - we share a lot of the classes - and I wasn’t sure how well you were feeling after the latest Adam incident, so I brought you a hoodie and some pasta salad.”

Blake had enough feeling in her legs to push herself forward and wrap Yang up in a hug, and even caught off-guard the girl didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around her, the feeling of Yang cupping her head bringing her a comfort she couldn’t feel anywhere else. 

“Thank you so, so, so much for coming, I didn’t want to bother you - you said it yourself, we share the same course load, I _know_ you’re up to your ears in assignments you didn’t have to come out here for me, and I _did_ tell you I was _fine_ -”

“Blake, you can’t lie to me, we’ve been over this. I brought pasta salad also because it’s easier on your stomach and I know you like it, which will help you eat it. I wanted to comfort you, and I had an idea to get Adam off of your back - or it might make it worse, I’m not sure, frankly.”

Blake sat back a bit, thighs straddling Yang’s own. She quickly made note of it and subtly inched her way backward before crossing her own legs and getting comfy for what could be very productive or a dumpster fire.

“Go on…”

“Maybe we could try dating?”

And Blake bluescreened. 

“Yang, I, _what_?!”

A multitude of emotions crossed Yang’s face before her face settled in a wince.

“I mean, like fake dating. Our families know our preferences, and we can explain to them why we’re doing what we’re doing, in case they start taking things too seriously. But only if you’re okay with it, boo. This is just the solution my brain came up with, even if it a wacky one.”

Blake couldn’t help but see the irony in the fact that there was no way in hell she was going to say no to the beautiful human sitting in front of her, and it was such a cliché from any of the books littering her room. 

And she couldn’t wait to see how this would go. She also now had an excuse to be affectionate, and she could just pass it off as if she saw Adam or even the little creep, Mercury, who she knew had been hitting on Yang a lot lately. 

People already shipped them, might as well give them a few crumbs, could they not?

“I would love to be your fake girlfriend. What do you want me to call you though? Are you okay with girlfriend, or like boyfriend, or theyfriend, or like datemate-”

There was a strained laugh from Yang, and Blake briefly wondered if she’d managed to fuck up already.

“Blake, it’s a fake date, I don’t really care which ones you call me. Theyfriend, boyfriend, girlfriend, whichever makes you most comfortable.”

Blake nodded, making a mental note to scribble this down once she got off the floor. 

But for now, she was content to sit and stare at Yang, her mind automatically counting the freckles that dotted the expanse of Yang’s exposed skin. Gods know how much time they passed like this before the sound of Kali’s voice drifting up the stairs snapped them out of it and they shuffled back from each other like they had just been caught - doing what, neither was sure. 

Blake stood up and stretched out a hand for Yang to take as she stood, nearly taking down Blake since her legs still weren’t all that steady. 

“Oh! Do you want to stay for dinner? Since I get to eat your pasta salad, it’s only fair...and we can tell Mom about the plan!”

Yang nodded before making her way to the door, Blake following suit after stopping for a brief moment to pick up her Tupperware of pasta salad. 

Making their way downstairs, Yang was quickly enveloped in a hug by Blake’s mom and after a shy request to stay for dinner, Kali had situated everyone around the table just as Ghira walked in the front door. The conversation picked up, and Blake dug around the drawers for a fork before digging into her pasta salad, tuning out the conversation as she savored the food Yang had brought her. 

Now, her mother made amazing food, that Blake could admit, but there was something about Yang’s cooking that just, it just appeased this one little area in her that couldn’t be touched otherwise. 

“Blake? What is this that Yang said?”

Oh shit, she hadn’t been paying attention in the least. 

“I, um-”

Luckily Yang noticed her dilemma and quickly came to her rescue.

“Yea, I was just explaining to your parents that there’s a guy that’s been a bit of a dick at school and we were gonna try a fake dating scenario to see if it got him to back off.” 

Blake looked at her mom who was just looking between her and Yang, and then she looked at her dad who seemed furious about the situation. Blake was going to assume he was mad about the fact that someone was harassing her at school and not the fake dating. 

Though her parents were probably a bit suspicious since it had been forever since her last relationship and that had ended on...not the greatest of terms. Even now Ilia would sometimes just give her a cold shoulder. 

“Yeah, what she said. It’s more of an experiment, really.”

Yang nodded and everyone went back to eating their food, but Blake failed to notice her parents' looks that spoke of suspicion and barely concealed elation. 

She was too busy having her own silent conversation with Yang to notice or to care. 

* * *

Yang laughed as she bantered back and forth with Ghira before looking at her phone in surprise when it went off - it was Ruby calling - and quickly finishing up her meal and giving thanks to the Belladonnas for accommodating her and gave Blake a quick hug and a quick hair ruffle which caused the ravenette to swat at her playfully, nearly dropping her fork in the process.

Gods, she was the best. 

She was about halfway to her bike when she heard the front door open again and instinctively turned to see Blake making her way down the front steps. 

“Yaaaaaaang, hold on!”

“Hey, hey be careful! What’s up?”

Blake stopped in front of her and Yang couldn’t help but notice that she was shaking a little. 

“You get cold too easily to be out here in just a hoodie boo.”

Blake scoffed, but the effect was dampened by a chill running through her. Yang wrapped her up in a hug, her heartwarming as she felt Blake melt into the hug just a tad. 

“Mum mummed tu nou—”

Leaning back she poked Blake’s cheek. She was precious, and the light punch Blake aimed at her ribs was more than worth it to see her smile. 

“Don’t know what you said there, kitty.”

“Mom’s started planning her Midwinter dinner and I wanted to invite you and your family to come over. You can invite people too, just don’t go too crazy and let me know so Mom can make enough food.”

“Blake. Your mom _always_ makes more than enough food. We’re both going to be eating her Midwinter feast until at least late January. And if Nora's coming, Ren's bringing even more food”

“That’s not an answer, sunshine.”

“Yes, of course, we’ll be there. Ruby will probably bring Weiss—they get along oddly enough, and we gotta check if the rest of the gang’s even in town, I think Jaune and Pyrrha invited Ren and Nora for Midwinter at Pyr’s.”

Blake grinned her Cheshire Cat smile and gave Yang a quick squeeze before scurrying back inside, the cold finally getting to her. Yang couldn’t help but laugh and received a frowny face through the front window for her moment. 

Climbing onto her bike and speeding off home, all Yang could think about was Blake’s arms around her and the moment they’d had up in Blake’s room. 

For a split second, Yang had thought about kissing her, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. She didn’t want to scare her, didn’t want to look like she was taking advantage of her. 

As she parked her bike and kicked out her kickstand, she felt her phone buzz and managed to restrain herself from checking it until she was inside. She kicked off her shoes and as she shut the door behind her, dug her phone out of her pocket—while managing to not drop any of the stuff that was also in it—and grinned as she saw it was Blake. 

Placing the takeout tray from the counter into the fridge, she tapped out a reply. 

_blek go rawr  
_Thank you so much for the pasta salad it was delicious  
Also, you left your riding backpack

 _Yang  
_u welc  
anything for my best friend  
check the bp btw

 _blek go rawr is typing…  
__blek go rawr  
_sndjskds you gave me one of your hoodies?!  
:p thank you so much!

 _Yang  
_n e thing for u honey

 _blek go rawr  
_Is this what we’re doing now?

Yang panicked a bit. Maybe she’d gone too far, maybe she came off too flirty, maybe Blake thought she liked her-liked her, maybe-

 _blek go rawr  
_(I’m okay with it! I can feel you overthinking from here -.-)  
I’m the honey  
You’re the sunshine  
Simple as that

Yang smiled as she walked upstairs, cursing slightly as she missed the last step and made a desperate grab for the handrail as she stumbled. 

“You okay?” 

“I’m fine Rubes! No worries!” 

As she flopped ungracefully onto her bed and lifted her phone over her head so she could continue texting Blake. Time passed and they said their goodbyes after promising to not go to bed too late. 

When Yang snuggled into her covers and let sleep overtake her, she smiled, her heart long past the line she and Blake had tentatively drawn in the sand.

* * *

The next day Blake got dressed for school with a pep in her step. There was nothing different really, but she was just excited to see Yang was all - that’s what she told herself anyway. 

Scooping the papers she’d left strewn across her desk the night before she slipped them into her backpack before heading downstairs where her mother was waiting with tea in a thermos and a simple snack for breakfast. Blake placed a quick kiss on her mother’s cheek before taking the offered food and making her way out of the door. 

“Thank you, Mama, have a good day! I may be late!”

“That’s fine, take care, and drive safely Blake!”

“Will do Mama!”

Pulling into the parking lot, Blake looked around before finding the person she was looking for. She spotted her talking to Pyrrha and Nora closer to the door and quickly found a spot and started towards them. Yang was wearing jeans and flannel with Vans as she so often did, but today it was a little bit different. She couldn’t be sure from the distance, but it appeared that Yang was wearing her binder - ah, so today was a they/them day - but it was all Blake could do to keep from sitting there and staring at them like they were the only person on campus. 

She was walking towards Yang and was almost with earshot when she felt more than saw Adam come towards her. She started walking faster but the next thing she knew Adam was standing in front of her and she had to stop herself before she ran into him. Her nose crinkled at the scent - it smelled like he had decided to dump a bottle and a half of cologne on himself, not like that was going to make Blake like him more - and she immediately took a step back to try and create some type of buffer between herself and him. 

“Adam…”

He took a step towards her and she took another step back. What was it with boys and not understanding boundaries?

“There you are Blake, I was trying to get your attention after school yesterday, I just wanted to make sure you were alright, that you’d made it home safely.”

Blake did her best not to sneer at him but had no idea how successful she’d been in that department as she all but bit out her answer. 

“I was fine,” The ‘no thanks to you’ went unsaid. “Now, if you’ll excuse me-” When Blake went to step around him, she cried out as she felt his hand wrap around her bicep and keep her from moving forward. 

“Blake-”

“If you want to keep that hand, I’d recommend you get it off of my girlfriend and make sure it stays far from her, got it Taurus?”

Blake had never felt such relief as she felt Yang standing next to her, holding her close and giving Adam a chance to leave in peace before she tore him a new one. Though she wasn’t fond of seeing Yang fight, she couldn’t deny the little voice inside her that screamed at her to let Yang lay Adam out on the pavement. 

Adam tightened his grip a few seconds but Yang must’ve seen because they made a move towards Adam and after a final squeeze, he let go and backed away, muttering under his breath and with a look that made her want to run far and hide. 

He stormed away and Blake hadn’t noticed she was shaking until Yang pulled her close to them and Blake held onto them like she was never letting go. Yang led her into the school bathroom and they got her some paper towels as she dried her tears. 

“Thank you.”

“Babe, I told you I would be there for you if he decided to be an asshole to you again.” Yang tilted her head towards the door and Blake followed their direction with a quick glance in the mirror and saw Pyrrha trying to hide near the door. 

“I’m still grateful, if you weren’t there, I don’t-”

“Blake, baby, don’t talk like that. If you want Pyr or I can try to stay near you for today, in case he tries something like that again.” Yang stepped into Blake’s bubble and Blake felt her heartbeat rise. Oh, it was these damning feelings again. 

They were fake dating, not really dating, and Blake needed her brain to make the distinction before she shot herself in the foot with this. She knew she was, feeling something, for them, but she didn’t want to ruin something because of her feelings. 

“I’d like that, Yang.”

“Oh, darling.” They wrapped her in a hug, and a feeling of being loved washed over her. 

Maybe things would be alright. It was just a couple of days until Midwinter.

Right?

* * *

Yang took a deep breath as she walked through the hallways, trying to keep her anger from showing on her face. 

He’d had the audacity to lay a hand on her, the bastard. Which reminded them, they needed to ask Blake if she had bruises later. She most likely would, and the thought made her angry once again. 

There were only a couple of classes until the end of the day, and then they’d go over to Blake’s and make sure she was okay. 

Their brain sent the thought that this was only a fake dating scenario, they could easily just text Blake to make sure she was okay, but Yang wanted to go over herself to make sure she was alright. They buried the feeling, the urge to kiss the bruises that were sure to form, to kiss Blake and shower her in positive affection and attention.

This definitely had nothing to do with the small fact they were in love with her. 

Nope.

* * *

They spent the rest of the day keeping an eye on each other, not quite saying the words they were both thinking.

Luckily, the day ended without incident, though both of them were toeing the delicate line in the sand, wondering if the other was also teetering on it.

Wondering if the other person loved them like they loved them.

* * *

Blake got home and walked into the kitchen, doing her best to keep up with her mother’s Midwinter planning, shooting off a text to the group chat she maintained with her friends to see who was able to come. 

Texts quickly popped in and after a few minutes of confusing emojis from Nora everyone had to wait for Ren to translate, Blake had concluded that everyone save Jaune was going to be coming over. 

“Hey, Mama, I asked the group and everyone save Jaune is coming over, but parent-wise it’s just Mr. Xiao Long. Oh, and Ruby’s bringing Weiss.”

“Alright, I’ll message your father to bring more food. Midwinter is next week, so can you help me bring down the winter decorations? Or do you still have work you need to do?”

Blake groaned as she remembered the essay that was due the next day. 

“I’ve got work, but I’ll try to finish quickly. Also, Yang might come over later, they’ve been struggling with an essay prompt.”

“Alrighty, sweetie. Off you go now!” Kali shooed her away and Blake reached for her backpack and winced as the bruises on her arm stung a bit. She should tell Kali, but it was a one-off. 

No biggie. 

After some time and she’d finished her essay and was aimlessly scrolling through her phone, there was a soft knock at her door. 

“Come in!”

And there they were. Yang gently closed the door behind themselves and made her way over to Blake’s bed where she was leaning against the wall. 

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself. How ya feeling, sweetcheeks?”

Blake blushed at the endearment, before shifting her position so her head was in Yang’s lap, her body curling towards them. 

“I’m okay, much better now that you’re here. You make a lot of things better.”

Blake couldn’t really tell but it looked like Yang blushed, and the thought of making them flustered gave her a sense of satisfaction. 

“Alrighty, now that we’ve got beginner cuddles out of the way,” Blake couldn’t help but make a face as Yang sat her up, “Show me your arm, honey.”

Blake slipped out of the hoodie she’d changed into - which coincidentally, was Yang’s - and turned so Yang could see the bruises that were showing up on her skin.

“Oh, Blake.”

“It’s not that bad-”

Blake cut herself off when she felt Yang’s lips on her arm. Was she-

Her head snapped towards Yang, and sure enough, they were peppering kisses along the bruises. 

Blake could only watch for the longest. She wasn’t against it, but she hadn’t been sure Yang shared her feelings, hell, even now her mind wanted to plant seeds of doubt. 

But then Yang looked at her and Blake melted. She knew what she wanted, and if given permission, was going to get it.

 _Fuck_ fake dating.

As Blake leaned forward to kiss Yang, Yang met her lips and Blake let her hands wander down their sides as she kissed them and hoped her lips could convey the words she could never bring to say. 

The words she didn’t know how to say. 

* * *

Time passed.

They hadn’t really talked about what they did that night, though they had reenacted it a couple of nights later, hands over mouths in a futile attempt to keep quiet, breathy moans and whispered “Oh gods—” and hurried concealer in the mornings, as they reluctantly separated for their classes. 

People noticed something was different, but no one could really pinpoint what it was.

Adam approached Blake a few more times, tried to corner her, but was never successful since Yang or Pyrrha would be lingering around and ready to step in at a moment's notice. 

Not that they needed to, Adam always backed off and Blake had taken some basic self-defense classes from Yang that ended in a...heated note.

Both of them inch their way forward, completely unaware that the line in the sand had long since been blown away. 

All that was left was talking—preferably before Kali’s massive Midwinter feast everyone would be present for. There was a tension present between them, and it wasn’t sexual. 

* * *

It was the day before school let out for winter break, and Blake was confused about why she was at school at all. They’d finished all of their finals the day before so this was now more of a completion thing, just to say that they got all the days required in. There were still an unlucky few that still had finals left. 

Blake let her hands drop from fiddling with her hair as she waited for Yang and Pyrrha - they had a sport final they needed to finish and then they were all going to pile into Blake’s car and get the produce needed for the dinner that Kali was going to start prepping. Blake’s dad had brought home the cans and frozen food the other day, but her mom wanted to wait as long as she could before getting fruit and vegetables, to make things as close to the day of. The festivities would start on Sunday night, lasting up until Wednesday. 

She checked the time and saw that Yang and Pyrrha should be out of the locker room now and decided to go meet them. Sliding out, she took the precaution to keep from hitting the door of the car next to hers, and after making sure her car was locked started making her way towards the field. 

She was almost there when she heard steps behind her and made the mistake of turning around. Adam was standing there, a furious look gleaming in his eyes. 

Blake was hit with the thought that she should’ve stayed in the car. 

He’d probably been waiting for her, and now there was neither Yang nor Pyrrha. 

He started towards her and Blake took a couple of steps back, but he kept coming. A quick look over her shoulder showed that though Yang and Pyrrha weren’t in sight yet, there was a group of kids waiting by the fence that could maybe provide a buffer between her and Adam. She looked back and he was walking faster now, with purpose. 

She ran.

She turned on her heel and sprinted towards the fence, an indignant screech followed by footsteps alerted her that Adam was chasing. 

She made it to the group and accidentally crashed into one of the smaller girls before crashing into the fence and scrambling to her feet. 

Immediately hands were pulling her up and asking her if she was okay and Adam was out of her line of sight and Blake knew she was safe. For now. And after this, she was going to take Pyrrha’s advice and report him. And if he got anywhere near her again, a restraining order would have to do. 

The girl she’d run into had a camera strapped around her neck and looked at her curiously. 

“You alright there? I’m Velvet.”

“Blake. Can I hide here until my datemate gets out of the locker rooms?”

A girl with sunglasses stared her down before pointing over her shoulder in the last direction she’d seen Adam. 

“Sure thing honey, but who’s he?”

“Someone who doesn’t know ‘No.’”

A nod. 

“Well, Xiao Long’s on her way over. They look mad.”

“Yang? Where-, wait, how’d you know I was talking about Yang?”

“There aren’t many out people here, and you must be Belladonna. You and Xiao Long being together is all anyone’s talking about these days. There were bets going on.”

Blake nodded, already itching to get over the fence and near Yang. To where she was safest. As soon as Yang was close enough she ran over and gave her a really big hug, causing Yang to drop their bag on the ground and wrap them around her to keep her from falling. 

“Hey, hey baby, what’s wrong? Are you okay? He didn’t-”

“No, he didn’t but he tried I saw a group and I hid with them until I saw you Yang I’m gonna report him, this is too much-”

“Hey hey, breathe.”

Blake held on tight. Yang picked up her bag and walked over to the group, where Pyrrha had gone. 

“Hey, Adel, thanks for keeping an eye on Blake.”

“No problem. I gotta go now though, so see ya.” The girl Blake now knew as Adel walked away, the rest of the group following suit after a chorus of ‘goodbyes’ and ‘take cares’. 

“I love you baby, and I’m proud of you taking the step to report him. I can’t imagine it’s easy.”

Blake was stuck.

She turned her head in Yang’s direction, but they kept their head stubbornly forward. 

“I love you too.”

After storming inside the school building and demanding for Adam to be kept away from Blake, Blake asked Yang to refrain from injuring their head of school while she filled out the report. She was met with good news, that other students had also filed reports against Adam, and warnings had already been issued. He would most likely be facing expulsion at this point, but he recommended a restraining order if came near her again. 

And afterward, Yang carried her back to the car and convinced Blake to let Pyrrha drive and to take a break in the backseat while Yang held her. 

Every once in a while on the way to the store Pyrrha would cast an eye to the backseat, and couldn’t help but smile at the two lovebirds.

‘Oh.’ Blake thought. ‘We _so_ need to talk.’

* * *

After making it through getting the groceries with little incident, the three of them headed back to Blake’s house loaded down with groceries where Pyrrha helped unload, but had to leave after a while to help Jaune get packed and wished them a good day and she’d see them Sunday morning to help out with final preparations before everything went underway. 

Things went smoothly, but all Yang could think about was the “I love you,” that had so stupidly slipped out of their mouth earlier. 

Subtlety was out the window it seemed. But Blake had responded in kind, and Yang wasn’t sure if it was for show.

What they knew was that when they’d said “I love you,” it wasn’t entirely for show. They couldn’t swear to it.

Things went smoothly and Yang was saying goodbye to Blake’s parents before heading home and when they went to give her a hug, she dodged it.

Oh. 

Okay.

Well, it was Friday and Yang didn’t have to be here until Sunday night, so they’d nurse these emotional wounds until then. Maybe Blake would want to talk about what happened earlier, they’d never discussed how far they were taking the charade, there’d been many a kiss at school a little make-out in the corners, but maybe she thought it was all for show.

Maybe for her, it was.

What Yang failed to think about was that that didn’t explain the nights they’d spent together, the touches, the sex-

It didn’t cross their mind at all. 

* * *

Blake screamed into her pillow as she thought back on the events of the day.

Why did Yang say “I love you,” and why did her reply come so easy to her?! 

Oh, right because she loved them. 

She’d finally made that connection in her too-long shower after dinner while her brain churned for any reason on _why_ the _fuck_ she’d dodged Yang’s hug.

But people didn’t dodge hugs from people they were in love with. They just didn’t.

She wouldn’t see Yang until Sunday if they even came at all. 

She should call her. 

But while she thought of things she could say, to make up for her enormous, incomprehensible error earlier, she fell asleep.

* * *

The time passed, and it was Sunday afternoon and Pyrrha had been there all day helping out and things weren’t any better. 

Blake knew she should message Yang first but still hadn’t done it. And now the dinner and festivities began tonight and if she didn’t get it out of her system, this was going to be awkward and she didn't want to ruin Midwinter for anyone just because she couldn’t sort out her feelings.

Pyrrha tapped her shoulder during one of the breaks and gave her a look that made Blake want to tell her everything.

“Hey, do you want to talk? We have some time before we lay everything out and people start arriving.”

“Yeah, I would like that.”

“Want to go to your room and get ready while we talk?”

Blake nodded, quickly telling her mother she was going to get ready, and went upstairs. No sooner had she closed the door then Pyrrha started talking, and she made sure there was no room for error.

“You’re in love with them. So why not actually date?”

“Wait, you know?”

“Yang told me after Friday. She called me crying at two in the morning.”

And that was all the incentive Blake needed to tell Pyrrha her side of the story, words pouring out faster than she could think them almost. Once she was done, Pyrrha was comforting her, and after giving her time to collect herself, handed her a tissue so she could wipe her face.

“Talk to her. Preferably before the dinner really kicks into high gear, or at minimum before your dad sets off the fireworks.”

“I don’t know, what if she doesn’t-”

“Blake, come on. Don’t doubt yourself here. If I’m wrong, I’ll do whatever you want just try it.”

“Okay, I’ll try.”

“Didn’t you two already say, ‘I love you?’”

“Yea, but, I didn’t mean it for show, not just for show and I don’t know if she meant it just for show or if they meant it-”

Pyrrha chuckled and placed her hands over Blake’s. 

“Talk to them. You’ll find you share some views.”

And with that, she left and Blake started brainstorming. She sent Yang a text to meet her upstairs in her room once she got there. And in no time at all - it seemed - there was a soft knock on her door and when she said to come in, Yang was there. 

They ran towards each other, crashing into the wall, the distance of the last couple of days still between them, but neither being able to handle the thought of not holding the other for a second longer. 

“Yang, we have to talk. Did you do this for you, for me, or for what? What was the point of the fake dating?!”

Yang looked away and Blake was scared they’d leave, but then-

“I did it for us. For the chance, we could evolve and maybe date for real. Actually, be together.”

“Yang we can’t just-”

“Why not Blake?! I’m in love with you,” ‘Oh gods,’ Blake thought, ‘they’re crying.’ “I’ve been in love with you for the longest, and yes I did do this a bit selfishly because I wanted more. The sex, the kisses, the stolen moments, I wouldn’t change them, I just want to know if you love me like I love you. When I say ‘I love you,’ I can’t swear it’s for show. I just, love you”

Blake just stood there with tears in her eyes. Oh, she was blind. And apparently, also incredibly dumb. She’d have to thank Pyrrha later. 

She leaned forward and kissed Yang gently.

“Pyrrha told me to talk to you, said we shared some views. Now I know which views those are. We’re both in love with each other.”

Silence.

“Yes, Yang, I’m in love with you too. Apparently, we’re just too blind to see it.” 

“Oh. Really. She said that huh?”

Blake hugged Yang and leaned her forehead against Yangs. The position was something so intimate to them, more personal than anything else they ever did. It left them vulnerable to each other. 

“I love you, Yang Xiao Long.”

“And I love you, Blake Belladonna. Wanna try this dating thing for real?”

Blake laughed at the dorky grin on Yang’s face.

“Of course. This is a hell of a way to start Midwinter though.”

Yang laughed before leaning her head back against the wall. 

“It really is. But it’s not so bad now, is it? What could be a better way to start Midwinter?”

“I could think of no other, sunshine. Now let’s go help Mama, I’m sure Pyrrha’s told her all of this already.”

Sure enough, when they walked downstairs, Kali and Pyrrha were waiting for them with matching grins on their faces when they saw their intertwined hands.

“Finally! Now, Yang, help me set the table while I tell you all the correct answers to Ghira’s questionnaire.”

“ _MAMA_!”

* * *

Midwinter started splendidly, everyone came over, Nora and Ren, Ren had even brought extra food - he was considerate that way - and everyone was laughing and sharing food and thoughts of games to play later in the evening. Blake and Yang engaged in conversation, but more often than not, had their own silent conversations with each other. They played footsies under the table until Blake’s knee bonked against the table and her dad gave her a look.

She’d promptly looked at Yang and burst out laughing.

After the dinner of that day was finished, Ghira herded everyone outside to the backyard and had everyone write a wish on a piece of the firework in sharpie and after everyone was done, he sent it up into the sky with a yell of “MIDWINTER!” and a whoop from Nora.

Yang pulled Blake into her lap and Blake stuck her hands in Yang’s hair. They promptly pouted at the action and Blake just laughed.

“I love you, Xiao Long. Here’s to an eventful rest of Midwinter!”

“I’ve already got you, what else do I need?”

“Hey, lovebirds!” Came Ruby’s yell from the firework launch site. “Come on! Y’all can eye fuck later!”

“Language, Ruby!”

“Sorry, Dad!”

Blake wasn’t sure how the next few days would go, how things would be at school, but all she knew was that she’d have Yang next to her every step of the way along with amazing friends, and even more amazing parents, what more could she ask for?

She loved them all, but Yang most. And that was her Midwinter wish, for her and Yang to stay together, through thick and thin.

Because when she said, ‘I love you,’ it was more than just for show.


End file.
